A Second Chance
by Angel38
Summary: R/T A second chance is given......
1. Heartbreak

Summery: A second chance is given………

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. I just wish I did. : )

Authors Note: Hey Everyone. I hope you like my story. This is my first fanfic, and because I didn't have a chance to read it over please ignore any spelling/grammar mistakes. Please read and review. I'd love to hear what you think!

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 1: Heartbreak

~Chilton~

Tristan felt like the world was moving in slow motion. The words were still ringing in his ears. "I hate him!" Mocking him, shattering his heart into a million pieces. Moving in a daze, he put down her books and slowly walked away. He wouldn't be able to handle it if he had to look at **them** kissing for a second longer. If he did, he would break down right then and there. Tristan DuGray never broke down in front of anybody. Never.

~Luke's Diner~

"Mom! Guess what?! You won't believe what happened today!" Rory shouted running into the diner.

"What? You burned Hell down! Yay! I always knew you had it in you to burn down that horrible school. I wish I was there to see it burn. It would have been so funny! Oooohhhhh wait, I know! El Duce bowed down to you and said all hail Queen Rory, and made you undisputed Queen of all the school……"

"Mom! Stop! No, seriously, you'll never guess what happened today!"

"What? What? Don't keep me waiting in suspense. What?" Lorelai exclaimed bouncing in her chair.

"Ok, so my day was going horribly because Tristan told Paris that we were going out and Paris believed him. I denied it and told her the truth but she didn't believe me. And then Tristan keeps bugging me to go to the PJ Harvey concert with him, but I didn't want to go because he was being such a jerk and then he stole my books and wouldn't give them back…….." Rory gasped running out of breath.

"Honey, breath."

"Ok, thanks mom. Anyway Dean was waiting outside by his truck for me. And he got mad because he thought that Tristan was my new boyfriend, but I said that he wasn't. And he didn't believe me. And so I said I hated Tristan and I finally told Dean that I loved him! And then we kissed and made up, and now we're back together! Dean and I are back together mom! I'm so happy!" Gasping for breath, Rory sat down, a happy light shining in her eyes.

"Oh honey I'm so happy for you!" Lorelai exclaimed, giving her daughter a great big hug. Turning to the counter she said "Luke, coffee!"

"No"

"Awwwwww come on. Rory just got back together with Dean, we need something to celebrate with. You can't congratulate someone if you don't have something in your cup. So you have to put something in the cups! I mean honestly, what kind of congratulations would it be if you didn't have anything in the cups. And since it's extra special it **has** to be coffee. I mean what other drink can you celebrate with?"

"Alright, alright….jeez, as long as I can get you to be quiet," Luke grumbled as he poured them some coffee. "There are you happy?"

"Ecstatic!" Lorelai grinned as she took a sip from her cup.

Luke smiled as he went to serve another customer listening to the excited chatter of the two Gilmores. They were quite a pair. A small chuckle escaped his lips before his normally tough face fell back into place. Yes, they were certainly quite a pair.

~DuGray Mansion~

Tristan lay staring at the ceiling of his room. He didn't even notice that the sun had gone down and that his room was pitch black. The day's events kept running through his mind. "I hate him! I love you, you idiot!" echoed within his brain. Tristan felt as if someone had ripped out his heart and crushed it to pieces. And there was nothing he could do about it, except allow this aching pain to take over his soul.

~So what do you think so far? Do you want me to continue? Please tell me, 'cause I'd love to know!~


	2. Avoidance

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 2: Avoidance

Tristan sighed. Could his life be any worse? He had spent a lot of time perfecting ways of avoiding her. He had it so he wouldn't have to see her at all. Now with one fell swoop, all his plans were laid to waste. Stupid project. 'How can I handle being so near to her when she hates me?' At first he was glad. It would his chance to see her up close again. He caught glimpses of her in the hall (when she wasn't looking of course), but it had never been enough. And time had not healed his heart. He wasn't sure if he was ready to see her, or even talk to her again.

It had been a while since that fateful day in the courtyard. Summer passed by in a blur of parties and pretty girls, and before he knew it the school year had started again. The first few days had been hell, seeing her in the halls and avoiding any eye contact. It was still torture to see her. At least he didn't have any classes with her this year. That would have killed him. He had tried to avoid her at any cost. 'Maybe if I avoid her I'll forget about her' he had thought. A small snort escaped from his lips. 'Yeah, that worked real well.' He still wanted her more than ever. And the most painful part was that she went on with her life. She was actually much happier without seeing him at all. 'She must be relieved to be rid of me.' With that thought, a pained expression crossed Tristan's face. Why did he have to miss her? She was the outsider. The new girl. The Mary. She was supposed to be just another conquest. But that didn't work out really well either. Instead of her wanting him, he wanted her. She wasn't even his to begin with. She never was. But he wanted her to be. He wanted her to be his so badly he couldn't stand it. Was he the only one who missed their daily sparring matches? Was he the only one who missed their almost friendship? And that kiss……..no he wouldn't go there. No sense causing himself even more pain.

He had to **do** something! Anything! Avoiding her wasn't working at all. And with this stupid project he couldn't even avoid her anymore. Working with her was going to kill him. Pain was the only thing he could feel nowadays. Just a constant throbbing pain. No one noticed though. No one cared. He had kept his cocky rich boy act going. No one noticed how strained the mask was. No one had noticed the cracks. Only he knew the difference. 'She would have noticed.' A little voice in his head said. 'She notices everything. That is….if she cared.' Tristan shook his head to clear it of those painful thoughts. He had to find something to replace the hole in his heart. Something to stop this constant feeling of paralysis. He was willing to do anything to make himself feel alive again.

~Chilton Hallway~

Rory groaned, banging her fist against her locker. Why did she always get stuck with a locker that would never open? "You would think with the amount of money people spent to get in here, they could afford decent lockers which **open**." She muttered to herself. 'Could my day get any worse?' She thought.

"You'd better do a good job on this Gilmore. If I don't get an A on this project because of you, I will personally make your life a living hell." Paris's cold voice interrupted her thoughts.

'Guess it just did.' Rory sighed as she turned towards Paris. "Paris, contrary to your belief that I am a complete idiot, I **am** capable of handling myself. And hey surprise, I might actually be good at schoolwork. So I'm sure this project will go off with no problems. If you want to bother someone, why don't you go ask Tristan, our newest resident juvenile delinquent? I'm sure he'd appreciate your concern over your marks. Now if you don't mind, I've had a bad day and I really don't want to deal with your threats and glares right now. I'll call you up sometime and we'll threaten each other then okay?" With that Rory slammed her locker shut and walked down the hallway, leaving Paris staring at her retreating form with a shocked look on her face.

As she rounded the corner of the hallway Rory let out a sigh. Paris had been the last straw, and in her anger she forgot to get the books she needed for tonight. She couldn't just walk back to her locker though. Paris was probably still there. Rory walked towards the library, her bad mood deepening even more. She had to say his name. As if things weren't bad enough already, in her anger she had completely forgotten, and had to mention **him**. Tristan. Rory sighed again. Why did it bother her that he was getting in trouble constantly? 'I mean it's Tristan' Rory told herself, 'he probably did all this stuff before, like he said.' 'Yeah, but even if he did, he was never stupid enough to get caught' a little voice said in her mind. 'Why do I even care? He made my life miserable last year.' Rory argued with herself. 'Not all of last year. You were almost friends for a time remember?' 'Yeah but that doesn't count' 'Why not?' 'Well, because he was such a jerk afterwards.' 'He hasn't bothered you at all this year.' 'That's because I haven't seen him all year.' 'Fine, if he's as horrible as you think he is, then why does it bother you that he's getting caught for all the things he been doing?' "Aahhhh. Will you shut up already!" Rory said to the voice in her head.

"Mary, mary, mary. You do know that it's not a good sign when you start talking to yourself like that." A smooth voice came from behind her.

Rory spun around and looked into two piercing blue eyes. 'Well speak of the devil himself' she thought. "Tristan"

Looking down into her fiery blue eyes, Tristan mentally slapped himself for even letting her know that he was there. He had promised himself that he would stay away from her, but he just couldn't resist. He had heard her conversation with Paris earlier, and was amazed at the way she handled herself. She never ceased to amaze him. Everything about her was surprising. He could have thought about her astonishing personality all day. Not only was she smart, but she was witty, and extremely beautiful. He could have stared at her all day.

"What do you want?"

Her annoyed voice interrupted his thoughts. Quickly Tristan got his bearings. "Oh, uuumm, yeah, uuumm I was wondering what time we had to meet for the project tonight." 'Jeez good one Tristan' he thought, 'how lame can you get?'

"We're meeting at seven in the Great Hall." Rory answered.

"Right. See ya later Mary" Tristan said as he quickly turned and walked down the now empty halls.

Rory stared at Tristan's retreating figure for a few seconds before making her way slowly back to her locker. 'That was strange. That was a half-decent conversation. I've never had a half decent conversation with Tristan.' "Yes you have. Last year, when you were almost friends.' 'Aaaahhhhhh. I thought I told you to shut up.' Rory sighed as she packed her bag and slowly made her way to the bus stop. This day could definitely not get any worse.

~So what do you think? It's definitely going to eventually be a Trory (sorry Dean fans. I love him a lot but I just love the idea of Tristan and Rory together more.) I know it's taking a while to develop into the story, but I'll get to it soon. I'd love to hear what you thought though. So please review!~


	3. Discoveries

Disclaimer: As usual I don't own anybody or anything. The characters and script aren't mine and the song is Nickelback's How You Remind Me.

Authors Note: Don't worry people, it's not a songfic chapter. I also changed some things around a bit. I'm pretending the scene where Tristan says goodbye never happened. And I'm creating an annual Chilton talent show where students of the school get to do something (songs/skits/etc) if they feel like it. Hope you like it. Please r/r.

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 3: Discoveries

~Miss Patty's Place~

"Here's to my love. Oh true apothecary, thy drugs are quick. Line?" Tristan glanced over at Dean. He loved making him squirm. He knew that Dean knew very well what was coming up, and he wanted to torture him with the wait.

"Thus with a kiss, I die. How hard is that to remember?" Paris said, getting more annoyed by the minute.

"Thus with a kiss, I die. Right. And then I kiss her, right?" Tristan smiled at the uncomfortable look Dean wore. He loved rubbing this in the bag boy's face.

"Yes. You say 'Thus with a kiss, I die.' Then you kiss her and die. Why are you smiling? You think this is a joke? The performance is tomorrow." Paris was yelling now, ready to kill Tristan on the spot.

"Wait, tomorrow? Oh my God. I totally missed it the first 47 times you said it."

"I warned you. I am not going to fail this because of you. I will replace you with Brad in a second."

"Oh, dear God, no." Brad whimpered in the background. 

"Can we just get through the scene?" Rory asked from the table where she had been "dead" for the last fifteen minutes. 

"Fine. But yell line once more and you're out. Start memorizing." Paris ordered Brad, who began frantically turning the pages of his script. 

"Oh true apothecary, thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss, I die." Tristan paused, wanting to savor the moment.

"What?" Paris's shrill voice cut through his thoughts.

"Well, it's just, with this being our last kiss and all, it makes me think about our first kiss. You know, at the party." He had to do it. He couldn't stand this torture, and he wanted to hurt Rory as much as he had hurt him earlier that day. The kiss at the party had meant the world to him, and she wished that it had never happened! He still couldn't believe it. Now was his chance for revenge.

"What?" Rory exclaimed as she sat up, ignoring Paris's cries that she was supposed to be dead. 

"You remember the kiss. In Act 1 at the Capulet's masked party? Well, I was just trying to think of something that would make this kiss as special as that one." Tristan continued, despite the panic filling Rory's eyes.

"Tristan." Rory's voice was a mixture of anger and pleading. He almost stopped then and there, but he couldn't stop himself. He had to continue. She had to feel at least some of the pain that she had inflicted on him.

"I thought she could cry." Tristan said, ignoring the confused expressions around him. "Yeah, no one would expect her to cry." Tristan said bitterly, watching Rory's eyes widen as he came close and closer to revealing their secret.

"I would." Dean said taking Tristan's bait.

Tristan knew bag boy wouldn't pass up the opportunity to insult him. And in doing so he gave Tristan the opening he needed. "You know, funny you should say that…"

Rory could not believe this was happening. What was wrong with Tristan? She had asked him not to tell Dean about the kiss and here he was, about to spill the beans. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to interrupt before Tristan could ruin her relationship with Dean. "I need to take five" she blurted out getting off the table.

"You know what? Let's all take five. That way you can all cancel whatever plans you had tonight because we are staying here until we get this right." Paris's frustrated tone filled the room as she stormed off.

"He is unbelievable." Dean said as Rory came over to him.

"Dean, I really need you to leave." She had to get him to leave, or else Tristan would tell him. She knew he would. 

"What?" Dean asked, confusion filling his voice.

Rory sighed. "The play is tomorrow, and it's fifty percent of my grade, and you standing there staring at Tristan, it's like a challenge or something."

"Well, I don't like the way he's messing with you."

"I don't like it either but we have to get through this scene and we can't get through the scene with you standing there. So, Dean, please."

"Fine. Call me later." Dean agreed, kissing her and reluctantly leaving the studio.

Rory gave an inner sigh of relief. She didn't know what she would have done if he had refused to go.

"Now I noticed you didn't cry when you kissed him. I'm starting to feel a little insecure." That annoyingly smooth voice came from behind her.

Rory spun around, her blue eyes flashing with anger. "What is wrong with you?"

Tristan backed away a little. The anger in her eyes surprised him. He had never expected to see that. "Whoa, I think I liked you better comatose."

"I thought you weren't going to say anything." 

"Did I say that?" He asked innocently.

Rory couldn't take it anymore. The frustration that had been building up suddenly exploded. "Why? Why did you have to go and do that? You knew that if he found out, we would have broken up again. I asked you because I wanted to specifically avoid that unhappy scenario. I mean it's not enough to make me go through hell in my first year is it? No, you couldn't just torment me, and make up stupid nicknames and get everyone in school to hate me. Now you have to go and almost tell my boyfriend that we kissed. Do you have some wish to cause me pain? Do you want to see me suffer?"

"Yes, I do!" Tristan burst out, shocking both Rory and himself.

Despite herself, Rory's eyes filled with tears at the surprise that anyone could dislike her that much to want to cause her so much pain. "Why?" she asked softly.

"Because…" Tristan began, and then sighed. He may as well get it out and over with. "Because I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me."

"Hurt you? How and when did I ever hurt you?" Rory asked, her head spinning in confusion.

"You hurt me when you ran away crying after we kissed. You hurt me when you said you hated me and told that stupid bag boy that you loved him. You hurt me when you said that our kiss meant absolutely nothing to you. You don't know the pain you've put me through Rory. You can't even begin to understand." Tristan said bitterly.

"Why would any of those things hurt you? You don't care about anything!"

"They hurt me because I love you Rory. I…love…you" There. He finally said it. He can't believe he blurted it out like that. What would she think?

There was a moment of silence while Rory digested this new and shocking piece of information. 'Could this be true? No it isn't. It can't be. Tristan doesn't love anything except himself. He must be still trying to make me his next conquest. If he can say he got me to break up with my boyfriend for him, he would have yet another notch on his proverbial belt.' At this thought Rory became really angry. How dare he use such sacred and beautiful words so shamelessly. He really would do anything to get what he wanted.

"I don't believe you. You're just trying to get me to break up with Dean and fall for you. Well it isn't gong to work Tristan. You can't say those words. You don't even know what they mean. You're just a self-centered little rich boy. You're only aware of what you want. You're never considerate of what anyone else needs. You only care about your stupid reputation. If you think I'm going to be another conquest then think again. I will never ever go out with you Tristan. Not even if you were the last man on earth. You're the biggest jerk I've ever met, and you make me wish that I never met you." Rory spat out, her anger causing her to breathe in short gasps.

Tristan felt his whole world turn upside-down. This isn't what he thought would happen. 'Well what did you expect DuGray? You haven't exactly made her life easy have you?' The little voice in his mind asked. 'Did you think she would fall at your feet? Especially after all you've done? Would've taken a miracle.' He couldn't take it anymore. The voice was taunting him, laughing at his mistakes. "Rory……I……" Tristan's anguished voice faltered and petered out. He didn't know what to say. For the first time in his life he was speechless. So Tristan did the only thing he could think of. He turned and ran out of the studio, leaving Rory staring after him.

~Chilton Hallway~

(Friday, the day after the showing of the projects)

The whole school was a buzz of excitement. They actually got to skip half of the day's classes for the annual Chilton Talent Show. It was always fun to watch people get up and do stuff. The most surprising people had the most amazing talent. And there was a rumor that this year's show was going to be the best yet.

Rory sighed as she walked out the classroom. Now all she had to do was sit through a bunch of students doing their "thing" and then she could go home. What a relief. This week had been so horrible. The only good thing about it was that after that incident at Miss Patty's she hadn't seen Tristan at all. Opening her locker, she began to put her books away before heading to the auditorium.

"Where the hell were you?" Paris's angry voice traveled down the hallway. "You weren't there and I ended having to sub in for you. Did you know you could have cost me my entire grade?!"

"Aaaawww, poor little Paris. Couldn't handle it if your grades fell could you?" That familiar smooth voice floated to Rory's ears.

"Tristan! This isn't funny. You nearly cost me my entire grade! I don't ever want to deal with you again!" Paris shouted.

"Well that's no problem. You won't have to see me anyway. I'll be gone from this stupid place after today." With that Tristan turned away from Paris and walked down the hall.

Rory had stopped putting her books in her locker, and was listening to the conversation. Looking down the hall she saw Tristan coming her way. Just as he passed by her curiosity got the better of her and before she knew it she had reached out and grabbed his arm, halting his progress down the hall. "What did you mean by that?" she asked.

Tristan looked in surprise at her hand on his arm and then into her questioning blue eyes. "What did I mean by what?" he asked, keeping his voice steady.

"By that comment. That you'll be gone from here after today. What did you mean by that?"

"That, Mary, means that I'll never be in this stupid school again. It means that the police caught me and Duncan and Bowman going through Bowman's dad's safe. And so it means that as punishment my dad is sending me to military school in North Carolina" Tristan said emotionlessly.

"Why would you do a stupid thing like that?" Rory asked, surprising both Tristan and herself by asking.

Tristan's heart fluttered for a second. Did she actually care? Then he remembered her words from the other night. His expression hardened even further. "Why do you even care Mary?" he said coldly. "I'm an inconsiderate jerk. You hate me remember?" With that he wrenched his arm free from her grasp and walked away, leaving Rory staring at his retreating form for the second time in three days.

'What was that all about?' Rory asked herself. 'Why do I even care?' 'Because you regret saying some of the things that you did the other day. And despite everything, you don't actually think Tristan is as horrible as you always say he is.' The voice said in the back of her mind. 'That's……ok, so I do regret some of the things I said that day,' Rory admitted, 'but it's not like we were good friends or anything. So there's no harm done. I mean its Tristan. He doesn't care what I say anyway' 'Do you really believe that?' The voice asked. Remembering the hurt look on Tristan's face, and the anguish in his voice Rory found she didn't know what do say. 'Oh shut up' Rory told the voice as she walked towards the auditorium.

Finding a seat on the bleachers Rory sat down and watched the different acts. Some of them weren't half-bad. Two students did a cute little skit, and another girl sang. Soon the afternoon was almost over. "Students, for our last and final act, we have a last minute entry. Let's hear it for Mr. Tristan DuGray."

The stage was pitch black. Slowly a spotlight turned on and was focused on Tristan. He stepped up to the mike and nodded towards the sound booth. The background music he had gotten started to fill the auditorium. He took a deep breath and began to sing.

Never made it as a wise man  
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing  
Tired of living like a blind man  
I'm sick inside without a sense of feeling  
  
And this is how you remind me  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
This is how you remind me of what I really am

Tristan looked at Rory while he sang. He had chosen this song because of her. He had made a realization after he had gotten caught breaking into the safe. He really was a self-absorbed, conceited jerk. How could he expect Rory to care for him if he was such a horrible person?  


It's not like you to say sorry  
I was waiting on a different story  
This time I'm mistaken  
For handing you a heart worth breaking  
I've been wrong, I've been down  
Been to the bottom of every bottle  
These five words in my head  
Scream, "Are we having fun yet?"  
  
Yet, yet, yet, no, no  
Yet, yet, yet, no, no  


Rory stared at Tristan while he sang. He had an amazing voice. And this song was sung with such feeling. She could hear the pain behind the words. And knew that those words were meant for her to hear.  


It's not like you didn't know that  
I said I love you and I swear I still do  
And it must have been so bad  
Cause living with me must have damn near killed you  
  
And this is how you remind me of what I really am  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
  
It's not like you to say sorry  
I was waiting on a different story  
This time I'm mistaken  
For handing you a heart worth breaking  
I've been wrong, I've been down  
Been to the bottom of every bottle  
These five words in my head  
Scream, "Are we having fun yet?"  
  
Yet, yet, yet, no, no  
Yet, yet, yet, no, no  
Yet, yet, yet, no, no  
Yet, yet, yet, no, no  


As she continued listening to the words, Rory was filled with a sense of regret. She hadn't meant everything that she had said the other day. And she didn't know it would affect him so much. I mean, it was Tristan. He wasn't supposed to care about anything. 'Now who's being stereotypical now?' The voice asked. 'I thought I told you to shut up' Rory growled and continued to listen to Tristan sing.

Tristan thought of the words that he was singing at the moment. They fitted his life perfectly. He was never able to achieve anything to anybody's satisfaction. His life was meaningless and empty. He never cared about anything in his life until he had met Rory Gilmore. She was the only thing he could actually care about. And the one time he actually tried giving a girl his heart, it was cruelly broken into a million little pieces. There was no happy ending for him. He couldn't even succeed at being a decent human being. And Rory had finally opened his eyes to that. He should be grateful for her insight. Yet why did such revelations come with so much pain?

  
Never made it as a wise man  
I couldn't cut it as a poor man stealing  
  
And this is how you remind me  
This is how you remind me  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
This is how you remind me of what I really am  
  
It's not like you to say sorry  
I was waiting on a different story  
This time I'm mistaken  
For handing you a heart worth breaking  
I've been wrong, I've been down  
Been to the bottom of every bottle  
These five words in my head  
Scream, "Are we having fun yet?"  
  
Yet, yet  
Are we having fun yet?  
Yet, yet  
Are we having fun yet?  
Yet, yet  
Are we having fun yet?  
Yet, yet

As the music faded, the lights dimmed and Tristan walked off the stage listening to the cheers of his fellow schoolmates. They didn't get it. They only heard his wonderful voice. **She** did though. He had seen her expression as she listened to the song. And that was all he had wanted. Packing away his things, Tristan stopped before the doors to the school. 'This is it.' He thought. 'Time for a new beginning.' And with one last look around he departed, closing the doors to that part of his life forever.

~Rory's House~

Entering her house, Rory was glad for once that her mother wasn't home. She wouldn't be able to talk right now, and her mother would bother her until she told her what was wrong. What was she supposed to say? 'Well for one thing, you can say that you regretted some things that you said to Tristan.' The voice in her head said. 'Yeah but I didn't think they would hurt him!' Rory exclaimed to the voice. 'Now who's making cruel assumptions now?' The voice asked her. 'Aaaahhh. Will you stop already? Alright I admit it, I regret saying those things. I regret hurting Tristan, and I regret never being able to tell him that. Satisfied?' Rory asked the voice. When she didn't get an answer she sighed in relief. Why had Tristan's song cut into her so deeply? 'Because you know that he was serious when he offered you his heart, and you cut him apart.' The voice piped up again. 'I don't know if he was serious or not.' Rory argued. 'Yeah, but you never gave him a chance to clarify did you?' The voice asked. Rory groaned again, why did this voice in her head have to ask all these stupid questions that she couldn't answer? She was so confused right now, with all this stuff from the past few days running through her head. Rory curled up on her bed, not even bothering to move the stuff on her bed. 'Why am I so confused? I don't like Tristan……do I? Then why do you care that you hurt him?' she asked herself as she fell asleep, clutching her copy of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

~Please review! I'd love to hear what you think!~


	4. Closure

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything. I only wish I did. : )

Authors Notes: Sorry it took so long to update! Here's the next chapter. Please r/r!

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 4: Closure

~Rory's House~

For what seemed like the hundredth time in the last month Rory dug out her Chilton yearbook. Taking it over to her bed she sat down and automatically opened it to the page with the student pictures. Staring at his picture she thought back to the day of the annual Chilton talent show. Why was he in her thoughts? Why couldn't she forget about him? He had made her first year at Chilton a living hell. She should have been glad that he was gone. Yet remembering the way his voice flowed over the words as he sang, and the expression on his face, Rory couldn't get him out of her head. Instead of happiness at his departure, she felt like something had passed her by. Letting out a huge sigh Rory shut the yearbook and lay down on her bed. She had work that she should have been doing, and errands to run before her date with Dean tonight. Dean. Another good reason why she shouldn't be thinking about Tristan. Dean was her boyfriend. He was sweet, caring, and everything a girl could ask for in a boyfriend. What more could she want? Nothing. Then why did she feel like she had lost something without realizing it?

~Military School~

Tristan sighed as he turned over in his bed. There was no doubt about it. Military school was tough. He never realized how good he had it at Chilton until he came here. Yet he was glad, because here he had the chance to start over. To become a different person from the obnoxious jerk he had been before. Here the name DuGray meant nothing. You had to make your own name here. In order to get respect you had to prove your worth. Tristan had never worked harder in his entire life, but he was glad. He had gotten a chance to start over. His one regret was leaving **her** behind. Rory Gilmore. Without her, he would have continued with his shallow existence. She was the one person who didn't care about his family's name, money, or good looks. She saw him as he really was and she called him on it. And never once backed down. Tristan smiled as he remembered her flowing chestnut hair, and the spark in her sapphire blue eyes whenever she was angry. The fire behind them, that life. He had never seen such energy and strength in one person. But with the new beginning he had been given, he had to give her up. 'Well she's probably much happier without me in her life anyway' he thought. Tristan sighed again as he turned over trying to forget her and get some sleep.

~Dean's Car~

As they drove away from the Hartford movie theatre Rory sat silently in Dean's car, listening to him talk about the movie. 'When did our conversations seem so shallow? I always loved our conversations, but now……they seem so boring.' She thought as she tuned out Dean's voice. When had things changed so much? Although Dean was still the loving caring boyfriend he always had been, she felt trapped. All he wanted was to spend time with his girlfriend, and she always found some way to get out of it. She used to jump at the chance to spend time with him, yet now, she wanted time to herself. She didn't want to spend every minute of her free time with him. Sometimes she even made up things to get out of seeing him. When had such a wonderful thing become so boring? Letting out an inner sigh, Rory turned her mind back to the conversation.

"Want to listen to some music?" Dean asked.

"Sure" Rory said, as Dean turned on the radio. A song ended, and a new one came on. As the beginning of the song started, Rory froze in her seat. It was **that** song again. Why was it that every time she turned on the radio it seemed to be on? It haunted her constantly and she didn't know what to do. Her mind flashed back to the day of the annual Chilton talent show. Tristan. His beautiful voice and the song haunted her thoughts day and night. Why couldn't she stop thinking about it? The song and its lyrics chased after her. The pain with which he had sang, and the message he seemed to be giving to her alone. She was so confused, and she felt guilty about thinking about someone else while she had a boyfriend. Yet, many times during the past month she had thought about breaking up with Dean, she just never could get around it. Yet he always made her feel guilty when she couldn't spend time with him, even when she really had too much homework to do. A good boyfriend shouldn't make her feel guilty right? She was just so sick of this. Why did everything have to be so complicated? And what did Tristan have to do with any of this? As the song ended they pulled into her driveway. Giving Dean a quick kiss, Rory jumped out of the vehicle and ran into her house.

Dean sat on the driveway for a short time. Rory had been quite distant for the last while. He knew she was busy, but he loved her so much, and wanted to spend as much time with her as possible. Things weren't working out, and he was pretty sure they both knew it. They would have to talk, and soon. Letting out a sigh, Dean pulled out of the driveway and drove home.

In the Gilmore household the phone rang. Rory dashed out of her room and frantically searched for the phone. After ten rings she found it under a pile of laundry. "Hello?" she said.

"Hey" Dean's familiar voice said.

"Oh, hey." Rory said.

"So, are you busy?"

"Um yeah kind of. There's a lot of homework to do. You know how Chilton is. They never let up. I think they want to kill us all with homework." Rory joked half-heartedly.

"Do you have some time tomorrow? We need to talk."

"Um I guess. See you tomorrow after school?" Rory said, slightly confused.

"Yeah, okay. Bye" Dean said as he hung up.

Rory wasn't sure what that was all about. Dean had sounded so sad about something. And the words we need to talk sent chills up and down her spine. What was going to happen?

~Next Day~

"Hey" Dean said dejectedly.

"Hey" Rory answered. Deep in her heart she knew what Dean wanted to talk about, but she had always convinced herself everything was okay. That their relationship was fine. Even though she knew it wasn't.

"Well…I guess you were wondering why I wanted to talk." Dean began as they walked down the street. Taking a deep breath he quickly blurted out his question. "Rory, do you like spending time with me?"

Rory was surprised. This was not what she expected to hear. "Of course I do Dean!"

"Well…it's been a while since we've done anything together, and I know that you're really busy, but I want to spend time with you! It hurts that you never seem to have time for me, and it's almost like you don't want to be with me."

"Dean, you know that's not true…" Rory began.

"I know. It's just so hard." Dean sighed as a silence settled between them. "I think it's best for the both of us if we don't see each other anymore."

Rory sat silently for a few moments. She knew that this day had been coming for a while. Yet she always thought she would break it off first. She had thought about it, but she never had the courage to. And yet she felt so sad. Dean was her first boyfriend, her first love. Yet she knew it would be better this way. Clearing her throat she said, "So…we're breaking up."

"I guess so. I would really like for us to stay friends though." Dean said, trying to keep his voice steady. He loved Rory with all his heart, but things weren't working out. He knew it was time to let her go.

"I would like that too." Rory said. Stopping in front of her house they turned and faced each other. "So…I guess this is it."

"Yeah, I guess so. We had some good times though."

"Yeah, we did." There was an awkward pause, and then they gave each other a hug, and Rory turned and walked into her house, leaving Dean on the driveway.

Dean stood for a short time afterwards, watching her house. Looking at the outline of her figure in her window he gave a long sigh, and turned away. "Good bye Rory."

~Rory's House~

Rory sat in her room not knowing what to do. They had agreed to break up. And she felt sad, yet also kind of relieved. She loved Dean, and she always would. He was many firsts for her. Her first kiss, her first boyfriend, and her first love. Yet, things had changed. Her love for Dean had become friendlier, and she no longer felt the excited tingles at being near him. It was for the best that they had broken up. That way they both saved themselves a world of pain and guilt. Yes, it was definitely better this way.

Lorelai entered the quiet house. Something had to be wrong. The house was never this quiet. Going into Rory's room, she found her daughter curled up in her bed holding her stuffed rooster. "Honey what's wrong?"

"Dean and I broke up" Rory's muffled voice came to her.

"What?! Again?! Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. We both decided it was for the best. I'm okay mom. Really. It's just seems different now."

"Oh honey of course it does. He was so many firsts for you, and he was such a big part of your life, and now he's gone." Lorelai said as she pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

"Yeah, but we decided to stay friends. So I think things are okay between us." Rory said as she leaned against the comforting arms of her mother.

"Well things will be alright, and everything will work out to be like one of those happy endings you always see in those sappy movies. You know, where the amazing music is playing and everything is all sappy and gushy and everyone is like aaawwwwwww isn't that sweet…"

"Mom!" Rory said, as a small chuckle escaped her lips. "You're babbling."

"I know sweetie, I know, but you know me." Lorelai said with a smile. "Come on, let's get some ice cream and coffee. The best prescribed medicine for anyone with any affliction."

Smiling Rory grabbed her jacket, and followed her mother out the door. Things seemed better already.

~Sorry this chapter had so little t/r. I needed some closure for Rory and Dean. And sorry this was so bad! Writer's block has set up a nice place in my head. Next few chapters will come up soon. Please review.~


	5. Friendship

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything.

Authors Notes: Here's the next chapter. Hope you like it! Please r/r!

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 5: Friendship

Rory sat in her room listening to the radio, thinking about the last two months. Although things had been awkward at first after their breakup, Rory and Dean soon became really close friends. Rory, with the help of Lane, had even helped Dean get together with his new girlfriend, Sandy. She was really glad to see Dean happy, and everything in her life seemed to be going well. Except for one thing. Something seemed to be missing. Yet she wasn't sure what it was. Letting out a sigh, she turned her attention back to her homework. All of a sudden **that** song came on the radio again. The song that reminded her of **him**. Tristan. He had been on her thoughts every now and then, and although he could be really annoying at times, Rory admitted to herself that she missed him. Only because he made life at Chilton more interesting of course. Making up her mind, Rory pulled out a fresh sheet of stationary, and began writing a letter.

Finishing, Rory looked at the letter, unsure if she should send it or not. She took the letter, folded it up and put it into an envelope. Mustering up her courage, she took her Chilton phone book and dialed the DuGray's number. Saying that she was a friend of Tristan's she got his address from the housekeeper. Scribbling on the address and putting on a stamp, Rory licked the envelope closed and grabbed her jacket. Walking quickly she made her way to the mailbox. Reaching out she paused as her hand was about to drop the letter in. Was this a huge mistake? No, she had to go through with this. It wasn't too bad anyway. It was just a letter. What harm was that? Taking a deep breath, Rory dropped the letter into the mailbox and walked back home.

~Military School~

Tristan sighed. It had been another hard day at school. During their short break he decided to go back to his room. Just as he was about to leave his roommate, Mike Worthington, called him back. "Hey DuGray! Where are you going?"

"Back to the room Mike. I'm gonna relax while we have a chance to." Tristan answered.

"Yeah, but the daily mail's about to arrive! Don't you want to wait for it?" Mike asked.

"Nah," Tristan answered. "No one sends me anything anyway."

"Come on man. Wait with me for the mail and then we'll go back to the room ok?"

"Alright," Tristan agreed reluctantly. He really hated the fact that no one had bothered to send him anything. Well he shouldn't have been surprised. It wasn't like his mother and father cared about him enough to send him anything anyway. Heaving a sigh, he tuned out the voice calling out the names and handing out the mail. It wasn't until he heard his own name being called, that he snapped to attention. He turned and only his quick reflexes kept the letter from hitting his head. Shocked beyond belief, he didn't notice the rest of the mail being handed out. Who would send him a letter?

"Yo, DuGray! Come on, let's get back to our rooms so we can open our mail."

Dazed, Tristan followed Mike back to their room. Sitting on his bed he turned his letter over and looked at the return address. He couldn't believe his eyes. He had to read the address three more time before it finally sank in. Rory Gilmore had sent him a letter! He couldn't believe it. He sat there staring at the envelope until Mike's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Tristan…hello? Hey Tristan! Are you gonna open your letter or not? Or are you going to sit there grinning like an idiot all day?"

Tristan snapped back to reality. Touching his cheek, he realized he was grinning like an idiot. Carefully opening the envelope Tristan took out the stationary and began reading her letter.

__

Dear Tristan,

So how have you been? How is military school treating you? Is it better than life at Chilton? Do you like it there? Is everything different in North Carolina?

Life at Chilton has been pretty much the same. The teachers still give tons of homework everyday, which should be no surprise. Everyone thought the talent show this year was really amazing. Everyone thought your song was really great by the way. Everyone talked about your amazing voice for weeks afterwards.

You're probably wondering why I'm writing to you, and to tell you the truth, I'm asking myself the same question. I'm really not sure why. Pretty bad reason huh? Oh well, if you want to write back, you have my word that I won't burn the letter. :) So…if you feel like it, I guess I might be hearing from you sometime soon.

Rory

P.S. Why did you pick that song to sing at the talent show?

Tristan's smile grew even bigger as he finished reading the letter. He couldn't believe it. He had gotten a letter from **Rory Gilmore**.

"Hey Tristan, what's the grin for? I haven't seen you like this since……ever!" Mike asked looking over at his friend.

Trying to tone down his smile only made Tristan smile even wider. "Nothing man. I'm just amazed that I got a letter that's all."

"Well it must be from somebody special. I've never seen you like this before" Mike said as he turned back to his letters from home.

'You have no idea how special' Tristan thought as he read the letter over once again. Still smiling Tristan went over to his desk and sat down. Pulling out a piece of stationary, he began to write a letter to Rory Gilmore, the girl of his dreams.

~Rory's House~

Rory sighed as another day passed by. 'Why did Chilton have to be so terrible? And why did I ever agree to go to that school?' Rory asked herself. 'You knew that it was the best chance to get you into Harvard remember?' The voice in her head said. "Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh, stop reminding me already." Rory shouted at the voice, and began her homework. Concentrating on her work, Rory did not notice her mom come home, until a strange white thing blocked the view of her textbook. Startled, Rory jerked backwards into her mom's legs. "Mom! Jeez, you startled me!"

"Hey, it's not my fault that you were concentrating so hard you didn't hear me stomp into the house." Lorelai said as she sat down on the couch. "So hell give you lots to do today?"

"As always," Rory answered with a sigh.

"So…have time for anything else?" Lorelai asked.

"Like…?"

"Oh…like maybe telling me why you're getting letters from North Carolina? More specifically from a boy we know in this household as the devil child?"

"Mom, give me my letter please." Rory said as she tried to grab the letter from her mother's hand.

"Nuh uh. No way. Not until you tell me why you're getting letters from bible boy. And why is he in North Carolina?" Lorelai said as she held the letter out of reach.

"Mom! Come on, give me my letter please." Rory pleaded as she jumped up and down, trying to reach the letter.

"Nope, not until you tell me…" Lorelai said in a singsong voice as she held it even higher.

"Alright, fine. I wrote him a letter a little while ago, ok? And he was sent there to attend military school after he broke into a safe. Now can I…"

"Why did you write a letter to evil military boy? I thought you didn't like him?"

Rory sighed and sat down. She was never going to get the letter until she told her mother everything. "I didn't. Then we got along for a while remember? And then he became a jerk again. But right before he left for military school we had the strangest conversation. He tried hurting me by telling Dean about our kiss at Madeline's party…"

"That jerk!"

"And so I interrupted, sent Dean off and confronted him. He said stuff about wanting to hurt me as much as I hurt him…"

"How did you hurt him? You never did anything to anyone. That little weasel will use any excuse to…"

"Mom. Anyway I asked how I hurt him, and he listed off a bunch of times. I said that he couldn't be hurt because he didn't care about anything.

"Which sounds true based on what I've heard about him. That typical rich little spoiled brat…"

"Mom! Please, just let me finish. So then he said that it hurt him because he loved me."

"Oh…honey…"

"I didn't believe him. Well I thought about it for a split second, but then I thought he was trying a different way of getting me to be another notch on his belt. So I told him off, and he left the rehearsal. Then he didn't show up for the Romeo and Juliet evening, and then the next day I heard Paris yelling at him at school. He said that he was leaving and I asked him why. He said it was because he broke into a safe and as punishment he was getting sent to military school. He looked so upset, and I felt bad for him mom. Anyway, at the talent show he sang this song, and it really got to me. There was so much pain in his voice. No one else seemed to notice, but it was there. And then he was gone. He's been in North Carolina since. I just felt so bad. I said some really mean things that day. Things I never thought I could say mom. I said I hated him, and that he was the most conceited jerk alive, and that I wish I never met him. I was just really angry with him mom, and now that I think about it, I never really meant any of it. I just let my temper get the best of me. So last week I wrote him a letter. Not much, just a short, somewhat friendly letter that asked how he was doing, and why he sang that song before he left. And so this must be his reply. So can I please have his letter now?" Rory asked as she gasped for breath. That explanation had taken a lot more air than she thought it would take.

Lorelai's features softened. She understood the regret of saying something she didn't mean. At least Rory was trying to make amends. She loved her daughter so much. She was such a kind and caring person. "Sure honey, only if I can read it with you." She said as she grinned and handed over the letter.

Rory nodded as she opened the letter, and with her mom looking over her shoulder, she began to read.

__

Dear Rory,

I bet you're surprised that I actually know your name. ;) North Carolina isn't bad. Military school is horrible, even worse than Chilton (if you can imagine that), and being here is tough. They work us really hard here, and believe it or not, I kind of miss Chilton. The people here aren't too bad though. I've made a few new friends, and they're really great.

So everyone liked the talent show this year huh? Well they're always pretty great. Good to know I left the school with a bang. Hmmm, when you say everyone talked about my amazing voice, does that include you? ;) Ha ha sorry Mary, I couldn't resist.

To tell the truth I was surprised when I first saw your letter. I never expected it. Especially after the way things were right before I left. But I'm glad you decided to write to me. I want to apologize for making your life miserable the first year. I really was a jerk, and I hope you can forgive me. We were almost friends for a short time, and if you want, I'd like to try that again. Well, I hope to see a reply sometime soon.

Hopefully your new friend,

Tristan

P.S. I choose that song because it fit the situation. I know that doesn't make sense, but maybe I'll explain it all one day.

Rory put sown the letter and a small smile appeared on her lips. He had written back, and he wanted to be friends. Did she want that? Did she want to be friends with the person who had made her first year at Chilton a living hell? 'He was such a jerk!' Rory thought. 'Yeah, but he apologized, and admit it, you liked it last year when you guys started to become friends.' The voice at the back of her mind said. 'That's true' Rory admitted to herself, 'but…'

"So, are you gonna forgive him?" Lorelai's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Rory sighed. "I don't know. I mean he was such a jerk last year, but when we almost were friends, it was okay. What do you think mom?"

"Well, he did apologize, and I guess it wouldn't hurt to give him a second chance. I mean this way, if he ever comes back to Chilton, you'll have one less enemy on your hands."

"That's true. Thanks mom." Rory said, smiling at her mother.

"No problem babe. Now let's get some food. I'm starving!" Lorelai said as she jumped off the couch and ran out the door, dragging Rory behind her.

~Military School~

Tristan sat down on his bed and carefully opened his letter. He couldn't believe it. She had written back! Trying to not let himself get too hopeful, he unfolded the letter and began to read.

__

Dear Tristan,

Well you got me there. I was amazed that you actually knew my name. I sat there in shock for at least a couple of minutes, and my mom had to give me a huge cup of coffee before I recovered. (Well not really, but I was surprised). Wow, military school must be really terrible. I can't imagine anything worse than Chilton. I feel so sorry for you. It must be pretty bad for you to miss Chilton. It's good that you met some new friends though. What are they like?

Yes everyone liked the talent show this year. And just to tell you I'm rolling my eyes right now. You were doing so well at the beginning of the letter, yet I knew that ego had to come back sometime. ; p

Well, after a lot of debating, I decided to accept you apology. I mean everyone deserves a second chance right? And yes, I would like to try being friends again. It could never hurt to make another friend. So once again, "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a wonderful friendship." :)

Your Friend,

Rory

P.S. Well, someday you'll have to explain about that song. I'd really like to know. Write back soon!

As he finished reading the letter, Tristan smiled. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had been given a second chance with the girl of his dreams. And this time, he wasn't going to mess it up.

~I know it's kind of slow right now, but it'll speed up soon, don't worry! Please review! I want to try to get up to 35 reviews before the next chapter goes up. I know it sounds mean, but I'm losing heart. I need to know what you guys think! So please review. Pretty pretty please, with coffee on top : )~

~Angel~


	6. Homecoming

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything.

Authors Notes: Hey everyone. Here's chapter six! I hope you like it! Also Rory and Tristan have developed a really close friendship by this time. A great big THANKS to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the best! I hope to get another chapter out soon! Please r/r!

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 6: Homecoming

Rory was extremely happy. The rest of the school year had gone off without a hitch. Paris had finally gotten over Tristan, and they had formed a friendship of sorts. Rory was sure that Jonathan, a cute guy in their French class and Paris's new boyfriend, had something to with that. Her summer had been excellent. She spent lots of time with Lane, Dean and Sandy walking around town and watching movies. She had exchanged letters and phone calls with Tristan almost every week, and they had become really good friends. Unfortunately she wasn't sure if Tristan was coming back or not. His last letter had been really cryptic on the subject. Sighing she went back to getting her bag ready for another year of Chilton hell.

"Hey honey, ready for your last weekend of freedom before hell starts again?" Lorelai asked as she came bouncing into Rory's room.

"Yeah, I guess so." Rory said.

"So have you talked to bible boy lately?"

"No, his last letter was a while ago, and he said he had to be somewhere. Maybe they let him out for the summer." Rory said, trying to keep the slight tinge of sadness out of her voice.

"Aww you miss him don't you?" Lorelai said with a twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"Well, sort of…I mean I know that we have this whole history, but we're such good friends now, and…" Rory began but the sound of knocking cut her off.

'Who would be knocking on our door?' she wondered as she went to open it. As the door opened, Rory gasped in surprise and stood there in shock. Standing at her door was none other than **Tristan!**

Tristan smiled, pleased with the obvious surprise mixed with happiness on Rory's face. 'It's good to know I've been missed' he thought as he leaned against the doorway. Letting his trademark smirk grace his features, he took the chance to look Rory over. She had changed, but she was still the beautiful girl he fell in love with so long ago. Deciding the silence had gone on long enough he smirked again and said "What? No hello? Mary, Mary, Mary, I thought you had better manners than that."

His voice broke Rory out her daze. Unable to curb her enthusiasm at seeing him, she gave him a huge hug and said "Tristan! It's great to see you! So what are you doing here? When did you get back? Are you here to stay?" she said in a huge rush.

"Whoa…let the boy breath, come inside, and meet your mother before he answers all those questions," Lorelai said coming to the door. Letting Tristan in, she led him to the kitchen. "Hi, I'm Lorelai, Rory's mom."

"Nice to meet you Lorelai. I'm Tristan DuGray." Tristan said as he shook her hand.

"Whoa…bible boy is good. He didn't even call me Mrs.! Did you warn him?" Lorelai asked Rory.

"Uuummm…well I might have mentioned your dislike for the title in one of my letters…" Rory began.

"Wonderful! It's times like these that I'm glad that you're my daughter. Anyway, let's get something to eat. That way bible boy can answer all your questions, and I won't starve to death!" Lorelai said, dragging them both out the door.

They entered Luke's and sat down. Immediately Luke came over. "So, who's he?" he asked in a gruff tone.

"Tristan DuGray sir." Tristan said extending his hand.

Ignoring Tristan's hand, he turned to Rory and asked again. "So who's he?"

Rory answered as she suppressed a giggle. "Luke this is Tristan."

"You mean the evil kid who made your life a living hell the first year at Chilton?"

"The one and only."

"What's he doing here?"

"Didn't you hear?" Lorelai asked as she broke into the conversation, "evil boy here isn't so evil anymore, so we can't call him the devil child, or spawn of Satan or anything. Don't you hate when people reform and then leave you with only one nickname? I mean really, you would think they would be considerate. Now we only have bible boy to work with, and so I think it's time to make up a whole new set. Oohhh that would be fun! And then we could…"

"Mom! Stop. Anyway, long story made short. He's not evil anymore, and he's a friend, so can we order now?" Rory asked, stopping her mom before she got too out of hand.

"Sure," Luke grunted. "So, what do you want?"

"Three usuals please," Lorelai answered, "Oh, and make sure the coffee's are extra big!"

"No."

"Aaawwww come on Luke," Lorelai whined. "I need it to survive!"

"No. It's gonna kill you." Luke said as he went to make their orders.

"Then I'll die happy!" Lorelai said as Luke walked away.

"So Tristan," Rory said "You still haven't answered my questions."

"Oh right," Tristan said snapping out of his amazement at what had just occurred. Never before had he seen anyone so addicted to coffee. "Well I'm back for the final year, and I just got back this morning, and I'm here because I thought it might be nice to give you a surprise visit."

"Well I'm glad you're back." Rory said as Luke placed their orders in front of them.

'So am I,' Tristan thought as they began to eat. 'So am I'

~Chilton History Class beginning of the Year~

Rory could barely keep her eyes open. History was usually so interesting. Why was it so boring today? Suddenly a piece of paper landed on her desk. Quickly glancing to make sure the teacher wasn't looking, she opened up the note.

__

Don't fall asleep Mary, or else Chandler will kill you. ;) So…guess what? Chris thinks you're hot.

Rory rolled her eyes and smiled. Making sure Mr. Chandler wasn't looking, she quickly scribbled something and threw the note back to Tristan.

Tristan smiled as he opened up the note. He saw her roll her eyes, and knew which comment caused it, but it was so much fun to tease her like that. Looking down, he read what Rory wrote.

__

Yeah right Tris. I really believe that.

Tristan quickly wrote back and threw the note to Rory.

Rory opened it up and began to read.

__

Why? Don't you "like" him? J/k j/k. Do you think that a guy wouldn't think that? I do.

Rory thought for a moment. What the heck was that supposed to mean? Did he just say that it would be normal for a guy to think she was hot and that **he** though that she was hot? Nah, it couldn't be. I mean, they were just friends. He must have been joking. Scribbling something down, she threw the note back to Tristan.

Tristan opened the note and began to read.

__

Sure Tris, sure. I know the truth, and there's no way that anybody could think I'm hot.

'I do' Tristan thought as he finished reading. Letting out a small sigh, he decided to give her a hint of his true feelings. Throwing the note back to her, he watched as she opened it up and began to read.

__

So what are you doing for the big graduation dance? You know, the prom. How about we go together?

Rory stared at the note for a second. He wanted to go to the graduation dance with her?! Did he mean as friends or something more? Did she want their relationship to be something more than friendship? Wait, why was she even thinking about the something more? This was Tristan for crying out loud. Gathering her thoughts, she decided with a safe answer.

Tristan watched nervously as she read the note. He had taken a chance to let her know his real feelings. Although it was the beginning of the year and prom wasn't until the end of the year, he had needed to ask her now. He wanted to be with her on the biggest night of their high school lives. It would kill him if she went with anyone else. But by asking he stood the chance of her rejecting him and ending their friendship. Her hair slid down and covered her face so her reaction went unseen. Looking at the note that just landed on his desk, he picked it up and slowly opened it.

__

Hmmm is the ever present King of Chilton trying to ensure a date for prom even though he knows the entire female student body would love to be his date? :)

Tristan let out a small sigh. She hadn't taken him seriously. So he was still her friend, which was good, but it hurt because he wanted to be so much more. Shaking his head a little, he decided to give it a more time. He didn't want to ruin their friendship. He quickly scribbled something and threw it back.

__

Can you blame a man for trying to make sure he'll have intelligent conversation during the evening? Plus you'll keep me from getting bored. I mean Mr. Chandler is going to be the guest speaker, and look at what he's done to the class! Imagine him doing a speech during the banquet!

Rory couldn't help but grin at the last remark. Quickly glancing around the classroom she noticed that almost everyone looked bored, and a good number of the students were falling asleep. Holding in her laughter, she quickly wrote something down and threw the note back to Tristan.

__

Ha ha ha. :) I can imagine a banquet hall filled with snoring people while Mr. Chandler drones on and on and on…it so funny!

Tristan noticed that she didn't comment about being his date. Did that mean she would go with him, or not? Was she ready for something more or was his mind just making something out of nothing? Just then the bell rang. Tristan picked up his books and walked to Rory's desk. As they walked out the door, Tristan lifted his arm to throw the note away. Rory suddenly grabbed his arm, stopping him. At his look she said casually, "Here, I'll throw it away."

Tristan shrugged and gave her the note. "See you at lunch?"

"Yup. Meet you at the usual place." Rory said as they turned in different directions. Making sure Tristan didn't see her, she folded up the note and stuck it into her bag. For some reason, she had felt the need to keep it. Telling herself that she would figure it all out later, she walked down the hall and into her next class.

~Later that day~

Rory walked into her room and dumped her backpack on the floor with a groan. Reaching into the bag she took out the note from earlier that day. Why was this note on her thoughts? Why was she so affected by it? I mean it was Tristan for crying out loud! 'And that's why it has such an effect on you' a voice said in the back of her head. Rory sighed. What did this mean anyway? And did she even think about Tristan like that? What was Tristan to her? "Aaaaahhhh, this is all so confusing!"

"What's so confusing hon?" Lorelai said as she popped into Rory's room.

"Ahhh, mom! Jeez! You scared me."

"Sorry, so what's confusing?"

Rory sighed and handed over the note for her mom to read. Lorelai skimmed over the note and put it down. "So, I ask again, what's confusing?"

"Mom, that note is confusing."

"How so?"

"Because I don't know what he means by it."

"Well what do you think he means by it?"

"I don't know! I think he may be serious, but he might also be joking…oh I don't know."

"And it confuses you because…?"

"It doesn't, I was just curious."

"Sure hon, like I believe that. I think it bothers you because you're not sure about how you feel about him." Lorelai said in a sing song voice.

"That's not true!" Rory exclaimed, but relented at her mom's look. "Okay so maybe…alright so yeah I don't know how I feel about him. I mean he's such a great friend. He's always there to listen, and he makes me laugh, and he's great to argue with. He helps me have fun, and he brings me coffee, and he is so sweet. When he's being serious he gets this deep look in his eyes, and when he laughs it's like his whole face brightens……oh my god!" Rory shouted as she jumped off her bed.

"What sweetie?" Lorelai asked smiling.

"I just realized I like Tristan!"

"Finally! I mean really, I love you and everything, but sometimes, you're just a little dense." Lorelai said as she gave Rory a hug. "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know mom, I don't know."

~That's it…for now anyway. :) To explain a little, Tristan was asking Rory to prom/graduation dance way way in advance. The prom/graduation dance is at the end of the year. He just wanted to ensure that they would spend the biggest night of their high school lives together, because he can't have it any other way. :) Aaaawwww isn't that sweet? Hee hee. Hopefully the next chapters will be out soon. But keep up with the reviews! Let's aim for 50 this time. The reviews seem to help fight off my writer's block :). And thanks again to all those who sent such lovely and helpful reviews. I really appreciated it. You guys are the best! :)~


	7. Revelations

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything.

Authors Notes: Hello again! :) Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys are the best! I hope to get another chapter out soon. Please r/r!

A Second Chance

By Angel

Chapter 7: Revelations

~Chilton the next day~

Rory walked into school deep in thought. She wasn't sure what to do about her newly discovered feelings. 'What if he doesn't like me? What if he just wants to be friends? That would hurt so much. I don't think I could stand being rejected. It's much safer to act normally until I get a hint of what he feels. That's what I'll do. I'll pretend everything is the same until I know how he feels.' Having made her decision she walked to her locker to see a familiar form leaning against it. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. 'Oh boy, this is going to be harder than I thought.' Smiling, she walked over to him. "Hey Tris."

"Morning Mary." Tristan said with a smile that made Rory's knees weak. "Ready to go to class?"

Rory composed herself as she finished getting her books and closed her locker. "Am now, let's go." She said as they began to walk down the hall. Without realizing it, both teens walked closer to each other than normal. Every so often their arms would brush against each other sending tingling sensations shooting up their arms like electricity. Rory had to concentrate really hard to keep their conversation going. 'Remember Rory, he's just a friend. A friend!!! You don't know how he feels about you, and until you do, Tristan is just a **friend**. Now act normally! Act like you don't notice the tingles. Or how good his cologne smells, or how incredibly hot he looks, even when he's in a Chilton uniform…whoa! Stop right there! No more thoughts about Tristan! Act like nothing has changed Rory. **Nothing** has changed! Breath! Okay, now concentrate on your conversation.' Rory stopped her inner dialogue and continued with their morning banter hoping Tristan didn't notice her moment of inattentiveness.

Lucky for Rory, Tristan was too busy fighting his own inner battle to notice. 'Every time she's near I feel so nervous, yet I'm crazy without her. Sometimes I just want to tell her everything, but I don't want to lose my friendship with her. What if she hates me again? I don't think I can handle that. She's so beautiful. Every time she's around the whole world seems to brighten. But when she touches me…I can't help but notice how my arm tingles every time she brushes against it. Or how beautiful her eyes are. They're like two deep blue pools I wish I could drown in. How can I forget when the smell of her shampoo drives me crazy every time she's near?' Tristan let out a groan inside his head. 'Don't even go there DuGray. You're only torturing yourself. Get a grip! She's a friend! A **friend**! Now focus!' Tristan ordered himself, before he turned his attention back to their conversation. Countering Rory's remark, he followed her into the classroom just as the bell rang. As they sat down in their seats both Rory and Tristan let out an inner sigh of relief. It was going to be a very long day.

As time passed Rory came to the realization that she had become very hyperaware of Tristan. She would be sitting in class and would be listening to the teacher, but she would also notice everything Tristan was doing. Like how he tapped his pen when he was bored, or how he rubbed the back of his neck whenever he was stuck on a question. It was almost like by admitting to herself that she liked him she had turned on some internal Tristan radar, which could track Tristan down in a heartbeat. Whenever he was near she just knew. Like at this moment, she knew he was walking towards her. She didn't need to turn around to confirm this. She had somehow known the moment he came down the hall.

Soon enough a familiar shape was leaning against the lockers beside her. "Hey Mary, got any plans for the weekend? If not then we could make some plans of our own…" Tristan said, as he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Closing her locker, Rory rolled her eyes, trying to submerge the flutter of her heart. "Dinner with my grandparents remember? But nothing much besides homework for the rest of the weekend."

"How about Saturday morning. Meet you at your house at ten?"

"Sounds fun. See you then." Rory said as she went to the bus stop. Inside Rory was thrilled. She was going to get to spend even more time with Tristan! Lately she couldn't seem to get enough of him, and she treasured every moment they spent together. Waving goodbye, she got on the bus, anxious for the weekend to begin. She couldn't wait for Saturday.

Tristan watched as Rory waved and got on the bus. He wanted to jump with joy. He was going to get to spend more time with Rory! Every minute with Rory was worth more to him than all the money in the world. Letting a real smile light up his face, he walked to his car. He definitely couldn't wait for Saturday to arrive.

~Saturday~

Sitting in his car Tristan thought over the last two months. His friendship with Rory had become really close, but there was always his underlying attraction to her. At times he thought he sensed the same attraction coming from her, but he was never sure if it was real or just his hopeful heart. He really liked his friendship with Rory, but it was getting harder and harder to contain his feelings for her. He felt almost ready to burst. 'Maybe if things go well today, I'll tell her how I feel…' he thought as he got out of his car. Hoping for the best, Tristan took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and walked to the Gilmores front door.

Rory sat in her room, thinking about the last two months. Ever since she had admitted that she had feelings for Tristan, their friendship seemed to get even closer. At times, it seemed as if Tristan gave her hints that he considered he wanted to be more than friends, but she was never sure. Maybe it was all her imagination and he only wanted to be her friend. But she wanted him to be so much more. Letting out a sigh, Rory decided that she couldn't hide her feelings any longer. 'Maybe I'll tell him today,' she thought as she changed for the third time.

Lorelai smiled as she peeked into her daughter's room. She knew what, or more specifically who, Rory was thinking about. She had also seen Tristan's car pull up outside a little while ago. Shaking her head, she nearly laughed at their obliviousness to the other's feelings. To anyone else the attraction between the two couldn't be more obvious. It was so strong that it was almost visible. The way they both tried to ignore it and act like friends was also really amusing to watch. It was like watching an intricate dance. They always said that they were only friends, yet you would almost always find one with the other. If they could, they would find some way to be close to each other, and Lorelai wasn't blind to the fact that they were always trying to have some contact with each other. It was almost like they were joined at the hip. Smiling again Lorelai moved back into the kitchen. 'Hopefully one of them will speak soon, before they drive themselves crazy.'

Tristan knocked on the door at precisely ten sharp. Lorelai opened the door and brightened when she saw that he held two steaming cups of coffee. "Oh you have become my most favouritest person in the whole entire world!"

"Favouritest?" Tristan asked as he followed Lorelai into the house. "Is that even a word?"

"It is in my handbook. Especially on a day when I haven't had my daily morning coffee since our coffeemaker is broken." Lorelai said before gulping down her coffee.

Just then Rory came into the kitchen. "Oh coffee! Tris, you are the bestest person in the entire world!"

"Bestest?" Tristan asked with a grin. "You Gilmores really can't talk until you've had your morning coffee."

"Coffee is what gets the brain going in the morning!" Rory said with a perky tone in her voice from the coffee.

"That's right. Without coffee the world would be at a standstill. People would be boring and dull and the earth would stop rotating. Then all mankind would die out and cease to exist. Life can not exist without coffee!" Lorelai said grinning.

Tristan couldn't help but laugh at this statement. Before meeting Rory and her mother, he had never met anyone who treasured coffee as much as they did. Calming down, he turned to Rory. "So, ready to go?"

"Yup. See you later mom. I have my cell if you need me." Rory said as she grabbed her jacket and went out the door.

"Bye honey. See you guys later. And have fun!" Lorelai said winking at Rory as she closed the door behind them.

"So, what's the plan for today?" Rory asked as Tristan pulled his car out of the driveway.

"It's a surprise." Tristan said with a smile.

"Awww come on Tris, tell me."

"Nope." Tristan said, his smile getting even wider.

"You're evil." Rory said, pretending to be miffed. She really didn't care where they were going, as long as she got to spend the time with him.

"Yup that's me." Tristan said with a smirk. He knew she didn't really care, but he liked teasing her anyway. Their banter was always so much fun. They sat in comfortable silence, listening to the radio for the rest of the ride. When they arrived, Tristan parked the car and turned to Rory. "Alright, close your eyes."

Rory rolled her eyes and heaved a dramatic sigh. Smiling, she complied, squeezing her eyes tight.

Putting an arm around her to guide her, Tristan led Rory slowly away from the car and down the path. Once they got to the entrance of the park he told her to open her eyes.

Rory gasped at the beautiful sight. There was a small dirt path leading into the park, and everywhere she looked there were trees of all shapes and sizes. Far in the distance she could see a glimmer of a lake, and everything was touched by the colors of autumn. "Oh Tris…it's so beautiful!"

Tristan smiled. This park had been his favourite place ever since he was a kid. He was glad he had this chance to share it with Rory. Seeing the look on her face had been worth it. Both teens smiled at each other and stood looking across the path. Comfortable beside each other, they both felt as if the time was almost right to reveal their feelings. Rory was slightly nervous. She felt as if something big was going to happen soon, but she didn't want things to change right away. Just as Tristan was about to speak, Rory broke into the silence. "Let's go explore the rest of the park!" she said, running down the path. Tristan let out a small sigh and began running, following close behind her.

During the day Rory and Tristan had many 'moments' where one would almost reveal their feelings to the other. Yet something always interrupted before they could say a word. By this time even they could feel the force of their attraction for each other. Being cautious, they kept the situation at a little more than friendly banter, always flirting, but never actually voicing their feelings. Before they both knew it, the entire day had passed by. Laughing as they talked, they began to walk to the entrance of the park.

"No way! It is not possible!" Rory exclaimed.

"It is." Tristan said smugly. "I'm not ticklish."

"No way. I refuse to believe that!" Rory said, getting a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Well, it's true." Tristan said with a smirk.

"I'll believe it when I see it!" Rory said as she quickly turned and began to tickle him.

Tristan, caught off guard, began to squirm and laugh. "Okay…okay…stop…stop!" he said between fits of laughter. "I give up. I'm ticklish."

Rory backed away with a smug grin on her face. "I knew it!"

"But not as ticklish as you are!" Tristan said attacking Rory's sides. Rory started laughing uncontrollably, and began twisting all over the place. Tristan wrapped his arms around her and started tickling both sides at once. Rory, trying to get away, backed up further into Tristan's arms until her back was against him. "Stop, stop!" Rory gasped, wiping the tears she had in her eyes from laughing so hard. Tristan stopped, and both of them stood trying to regain their breath. Suddenly they both realized the position they were in. Yet neither one of them moved. Rory couldn't help but think how comfortable she felt in his arms. She didn't want to move at all. Tristan stood there with his arms around Rory, and couldn't imagine any other place he wanted to be. They couldn't ignore the tingling sensation they felt whenever they came in contact with each other either. They both stood there for a few moments, watching the sunset, highlighting the colors of the leaves, making everything glow with a golden hue. It was at that moment, that they both decided to tell each other their true feelings. They both spoke at the same time. "Tris…" "Rory…"

Rory, too nervous to speak, nodded for Tristan to speak first.

Tristan knew this was it. This was his chance to tell Rory everything. Tristan suddenly became very nervous. Taking a deep breath, Tristan began to speak. "Rory…I…I've been thinking lately. Well, no I thought about this a long time ago, but I never knew what you were thinking, so I never said anything and…" Tristan stopped before his babbling went out of control. He had never been so nervous before in his life. Taking another breath he continued. "We've had quite a history, but we overcame it all and now we're really good friends. I'm really glad that we had this chance to become friends. I never can tell you how grateful that you gave me that second chance. I mean, you've been so great, and I feel like I can talk to you about anything. I realized long ago that I liked you a lot. And…well I've been thinking for a while now, and I was wondering…well…I was wondering if you would like be my girlfriend." There, he had finally told her how he felt. Now, for the first time, his heart lay on the line. She had the power to make him the happiest man alive, or crush all his hopes and grind his heart into little pieces.

Rory stood there stunned for a second, a million thoughts rushing through her head. 'I can't believe it. He has feelings for me! **Tristan** is asking **me** to be **his girlfriend**! Oh my god he likes me!' Realizing that Tristan was still waiting for an answer, she took a deep breath and said without hesitation, "Tris, I would love to be your girlfriend."

Tristan let out a sigh of relief. He had been extremely nervous when she didn't answer right away. He had been so scared that she was going to reject him. He would have died if he heard the words "I only think of you as a friend." Pulling her closer to him, they stood there in comfortable silence as a blanket of happiness fell over them both. Suddenly Rory pulled away and turned to look deep into Tristan's eyes. "Hey Tris, you know that note? The one you wrote at the beginning of the year?"

Tristan nodded.

"Were you serious when you asked me to prom?"

Tristan looked deep into Rory's eyes and nodded again.

"Well, if the offer still stands, I would really love to go with you Tris. I mean as your girlfriend, I suppose it's my duty and everything…" Rory said with an impish grin.

Tristan smiled and laughed. He couldn't help being amazed at how right those words sounded coming from Rory's mouth. His girlfriend. Life couldn't get any better than this. "Of course the offer still stands. I've been waiting for your answer for a long time now. And as your boyfriend I suppose it's my duty to take you." He replied in a teasing manner. Feeling an overwhelming joy bubble up inside them, they laughed again. Tristan wrapped his arms around Rory and they watched the rest of the sunset. Never had either of them felt so complete. So alive.

As Tristan watched the sunset he felt a great sense of peace and comfort come over him. For the first time in his life he could say that all was right in the world. He finally had the girl of his dreams in his arms, and he was never going to let her go.

~Yay! They're finally together! I hope you liked this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapters out as soon as I can. Keep the reviews coming! They seem to magically dispel the nasty writers block : )~


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